[a separate peace]

"What is the one thing that would make your life complete?"

"Hmmm. One thing...oh, gosh. I guess...I would say having a peace of mind. I feel like I'm always so uptight, that I don't really enjoy anything because I'm always worrying about the next thing I have to do. I guess it would just make me smell the roses every now and then and enjoy life, because I'm not going to be twenty years old forever. I'm scared I'm going to get to be fifty and I'll think that I wasted my younger years."

"What does your 'peace' look like?"

"Being confident in my abilities, being content with the situations at hand, no matter how bad they might be, and just finding the good things in every situation, instead of focusing on negative."

"What is preventing you from finding that peace?"

"Being scared of failure. That's my biggest fear. Failing at something."

I could tell she meant what she said. Her request, her yearning was not some frivolous answer born of  convenience or ignorance--rather, it was thoughtfully crafted to hold the weight and reverence her deepest desires demanded.

But she isn't unique.

How many other people are holding themselves back from pursuing what would make their lives complete? How many fear failure so fiercely that they allow those fears to control their actions, their thoughts?

What are we missing when we live out our fears, instead of our dreams?

Perhaps fear is easier. By resigning ourselves to a life of fear, we chose a predictable course of action that keeps our worlds consistent, familiar. By resigning ourselves to a life of fear, we become satisfied with mediocrity, and "settling" is accepted as the standard.

But what of dreams? What of embarking on a journey envisioned by many, but sought by very few? By living our dreams, our comfort zones become a thing of the past. The unknown is welcomed warmly for the opportunities it may bring, instead of feared for its uncertainty.

What's stopping you from finding your peace, from living your dream?
Is the certainty worth the sacrifice of the life you've imagined?